Lely's football coach grows into his position

Be it at home or on the field, Lely football head coach Dave Miller finds himself in the same situation -- guiding youngsters toward adulthood.

And with the Trojans having lost 29 players to graduation, including all but three starters, Miller's job this season is all the more involved.

But not as involved as tending to his and wife, Carrie's 1-year-old daughter, Amelia.

"Patience is the biggest thing," said Miller, a graduate of West Virginia. "With little ones, you have to be patient with them. They're into everything. They change every single day. Same thing with these boys.

"They change every single day with their attitudes, just watching them grow and become men. With coaching, it's watching them mature through high school and college. It's just watching them grow and mature, same thing with having a little one."

Miller's head coaching career is also in its infancy. Beginning in 2003, he served as the Trojans' defensive coordinator under coaches Chris Metzger and Steve Pricer.

When Pricer resigned after the first game last season in a dispute with the school's administration, Miller was named his replacement.

As interim head coach, Miller led Lely to a 6-4 record and a victory over Naples High in the Coconut Bowl for the first time since 2005.

In January, the interim tag was removed and Miller is now preparing for his first full season at the helm.

"What happened to Coach Pricer is unfortunate but he put together a pretty good staff," said Miller, 35. "It's very exciting to be getting ready for the season. I worked under some very good head coaches and learned a lot from them. I try to apply that."

Though training camp for Collier County teams begins August 9, the Trojans' players gather four days a week for the team's voluntary conditioning program at the school. There are more than 100 kids participating. All needing attention. All blindsiding Miller, who's learning the realities of head coaching duties every day.

"As a coach and a mentor, it's seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Miller said. "We're never off. As coaches, we get calls all the time. That's the thing I didn't expect as a head coach - the time and the little stuff that pops up.

"There's so many little things that come about that your not expecting. Every day there's something popping up. Nothing real serious, but little things and the time it takes to get that stuff done.

"And obviously, coaching isn't something we do for the pay. Coaching is a thing we do for the love. We tell them, ‘We're not doing it for the money, we're doing it because we love you guys, we love the game.' Hopefully, we make an impression on them to be better people."

Though the Trojans will field a very inexperienced team, Miller feels with the talent his players have displayed this summer that the upcoming season is more about restocking then rebuilding.

"The football stuff will take care of itself," he said. "As a staff, we're just trying to mold them into being hard workers, being honest, and being responsible - all the things you want these kids to have once they graduate and represent your program.

"We stress academics more than anything. Class work is even more important in the long run. Football will only be here so long. Formal education is for a lifetime.

"Our responsibility as coaches is setting an example and showing them how to better themselves."